Sugar
A reflection on life
With influences to the production such as Skam and Skins, The Eighth Sense brings upon fairly common critiques on life and youth with unique qualities in a Korean drama. It essentially uses artistic elements and the surrounding atmospheres to introduce us to these characters, mainly in the perspectives of Jihyun and Jaewon.The one issue I have is that while I firmly respect the directors' visions towards production, I can see why not everyone is able to follow the storyline cohesively during some parts. Whether it be abrupt scene changes, dreamlike blurriness to focus on the character, or "choppiness" in the editing, it's not a familiar usage (at least in my case) and thus had me confused.
With that said though, I truly enjoyed the experience of watching this series build all the way to the end. I loved that this series had a focus on the "human-ness" rather than just exclusively romance. These characters expressed their aspirations, struggles and relatable navigations that added more three-dimensionality than just "insert character here" for "insert scene". Obviously this feat couldn't have been done without the acting, which once again, shocks me as a lot of the cast seem to be very new in the acting world. They did a tremendous job in their roles. It's rare to find a drama that includes mental health in a very raw, respectful and realistic setting. Too many series I find tend to stereotype mental illness that it makes it difficult for me to watch a series that includes these themes. But in The Eighth Sense's case, the inclusion of mental health showcases the debilitating inner battles but also the outward support systems to show that one should not have to fight those battles alone, and they are worthy of seeking help. Though the production at times interrupted my enjoyment, I do have to say the intentional methods in which they light a scene to add onto the authenticity characters feel did have me audibly go "wow", because I could see the TLC in so many layers of the production. And of course, the gradual relationship between Jihyun and Jaewon hooked me into watching more and more. It felt so candid and typical, especially portrayed in early 20's, but there was a magic to their spark that grew into a flame fuelled by their love (I know, ridiculous and cheesy, but there's no other way to describe it). Though the fire was temporarily put out, there was still love in the eyes of these characters shown in different, subtle ways, and I enjoyed every second of it.
I appreciate the dedication the directors, writers, cast and everyone involved in this project put forth into making this beautiful series that went sneakily under our noses until the big trailer drop. By god I hope it doesn't go under the noses in terms of seeking something to watch in one's spare time, because this is an absolute, positive, MUST WATCH. Please support the cast and crew, watch this fantastic series, I doubt you'll regret it. A solid series.
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The sky's the limit
A series about questioning one's ambition, what one strives for, commits to, dances around, You're My Sky shows us characters trying to find a balance between love and life.There are some issues I'd like to highlight. One being how they execute the time skips in this series; I feel it tore down what each episode was trying to build upon. Next is, this might be broad, but this is a series with a slow, gradual pace. For me it wasn't an issue, however I can understand it might be annoying for those who want to watch something with a much faster-paced plot. So if you don't dig slow burn romances, or just slow paced stories in general, this might not be for you.
What SHOULD be regarded as deserving high praise is how this story deals with its complexities. From relationships, moral compass, to what each character tries to achieve, I love and appreciate how the focus is more broad. It's not only romance, but it has friendship, sports, dynamics, so much that adds depth to the plot. The production really showcases the budget taken to create You're My Sky; eye-catching scenery, beautiful cinematography, very rich and colourful tones that are bountiful in terms of aesthetics. Lastly, the acting, from rookies who are playing such diverse characters? Incredible job, seriously. They add such life to their character and portray something unique.
It is shocking how criminally underrated this series is, because it is worth diving into. There's so much to You're My Sky than it has to offer from its brief synopsis.
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Crazy from start to finish
This has been on my watch list for quite some time, but hey, better late than never. For the most part, this drama is really good.What makes it good?
It's not an eyeroll drama about politics. It has suspense, mystery, and action. Park Mujin's character development from beginning to end was amazing to watch. The complexity of each character's goal, whether they have good or bad morals, really adds onto their motives. The acting is truly believable, astounding, impeccable, what more can I say? The cinematography is gorgeous, I love the different aspects to how the scenes were shot/set up.
What makes it bad?
The plotholes. There are parts to the story that have some loose ends. There's also parts that don't feel as impactful as they should be. The pacing becomes slow in the middle-ish. Nothing was really progressing until it got near the end.
Though the premise of this drama may leave people with mixed feelings, I say give it a watch and see if you're up for it.
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Potential that fell down like a deck of cards
Let me first highlight that this is one guy's opinion. Opinion, in bold and underlined font.This series had incredible potential. It had an interesting plot and a decent intro to the series. But it did not take long after for everything to fall apart. Now if this series leaned more into the rom-com category, with an addition of action, things might've changed. However that doesn't seem to be the case.
The acting is just downright terrible. Part of the reason was the cheesy, one-dimensional script and characters. The other part, though, is obviously the acting itself. A lot of the actors had the same dead-pan look throughout the entire series. A lot of the actors went over the top and overacted the scenes. A lot of the actors could not properly express emotions.
The characters were expected. As in, they were not fundamentally unique, just the usual stereotypical cast. Very boring, bland, and often hard to watch. You know what will happen next, and it is not the good kind. There wasn't a single character that struck me as "groundbreaking", and while it is OK to have a character not be unique or stand out amongst the rest, my problem lies with how every single one in this series didn't jump out to me.
The music was just downright terrible. It was either unfitting or distracting. Or both.
I lost count at how many times they added in a slow-mo effect, but it was annoyingly a lot.
This series just wasn't at all appealing to me. It had a cool idea that ran through the dirt.
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Not bad, but not the best
This series as a whole flip-flops between the good aspects and bad aspects of a series.The good is how they articulate the typical Thai BL school setting but under a different scope of perspective. There's bullying that is acknowledged, there's the raw and truthful feelings of fear as these late teens approach adulthood, and there's relationships that tie into the title itself. The chemistry/intimate moments is another plus that I was quite shocked with. In a sense, it's a new form of characters displaying affection with their partners. A lot of these characters are portrayed as young, so their experiences feel just about as awkward and rushed in as any late teen would be. There's a lot of nostalgia that goes hand in hand with Second Chance as a whole, which is why I kind of sympathize and relate to some of the characters.
The okay of the show is the acting. Part of this plays in with the length, but there's quite a bit of scenes that have pauses, under or overacting. There are some good actors, but there's also some that need to work on their craft. It's not terrible acting, again, just needs to be improved upon.
The bad is, as I've stated one, the length. It just does not cut it. At first it seemed to be 8 episodes, but then it got shortened down to 6. And while it could've worked with only 6, there were too many filler scenes or characters that tried to fit into a scene but didn't work out. Much of the story relies on the character's interactions, but there were characters that felt too flat to understand. Another thing is the music, it was just a complete distraction. But the biggest distraction is that in most of the scenes there's very loud background noise that many times took away my focus from the scenes. Likely some editing error, but also likely a simple fix that somehow went over their heads.
Overall, this series is still worth a watch. It's a nice show to sidetrack from another if you want something happy, short and sweet.
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When Two Worlds Collide
This is one of those shows that have a very feel-good atmosphere - from the chemistry, to the character interactions, to the music and overall story.My only issue lies with several stems of previous shows in that the length is just too short. Some of the conflicts are either rushed or completely forgotten about. Again, as I and many others have stated, there needs to be a change in the length of these series. Eight/nine episode dramas, ten-to-twelve minute long episodes are just never enough.
With that out of the way, the acting and chemistry are some of the strongest I've seen in a show, and that's saying a lot. If you enjoy really soft intimate scenes, To My Star has it all and you will be surprised how they lead it all up to the end.
The romance, again, is one of the strongest. Really feel-good interactions that, despite the short length, are well worth watching. Regardless of their opposite professions, there are wonderful surprises.
The dialogue, again, is a nice touch. There may or may not be scenes that are cheesy, corny, cringy, etc. but that's up for you to decide. I for one enjoyed them.
Cinematography is another great plus. There's a lot of warmth put into the scenes. And hard work. So really well done!
The music compliments every scene, whether serious or soft.
All in all, really enjoyable to watch.
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Finding Color in Someone's Eyes
Do you like soulmate plots? Colourful symbolism? Mysteries? Sweet romance with important messages? Then Color Rush is definitely for you.Though there are some hiccups, such as a few parts of the acting and that it's far too short for such a plot, Color Rush is a well-done series. It's two people that are each other's missing piece in life. Fair warning that although this show does deal with some heavier stuff, it's still worth giving a watch. It dives into a lot of deep, psychological topics, which leaves you something to think about. Also I learned a lot about the different colours mentioned along with their histories. This is an overall interesting concept, with beautiful music and a decent cast of characters to boot.
I only hope that there is a continuation as this series has potential.
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